Category: Sports

The head of the Women’s Tennis Association on Wednesday voiced concern over an email it received in which Chinese professional tennis player Peng Shuai was said to deny her previous allegations of sexual assault.

Peng, one of China’s biggest sport stars, said on social media earlier this month that former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli coerced her into sex and that they later had an on-off consensual relationship.

Her post was quickly deleted and she had not been seen publicly or made a statement since then, alarming the global tennis community.

On Twitter, Chinese state-affiliated media outlet CGTN released what it said was an email Peng had sent to WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon in which she denied the allegations, and that she was not missing or unsafe, but just “resting at home.”

But in his own written statement, Simon said the email only raised his concerns as to Peng’s “safety and whereabouts,” and that he had a hard time believing she actually wrote the email.

Peng is a former World No. 1-ranked doubles player, taking 23 tour-level doubles titles, including Grand Slams at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

She hasn’t competed on tour since the Qatar Open in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced tennis to take a hiatus.

Former Vice Premier Zhang retired in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public life, as is usual with former Chinese officials.

Source: Voice of America

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — An email purportedly from a Chinese professional tennis player that a Chinese state media outlet posted on Twitter has increased concerns about her safety as the sport’s biggest stars and others abroad call for information about her well-being and whereabouts.

So far, those calls have been met by silence.

Chinese officials have said nothing publicly since the accusation about two weeks ago by Grand Slam doubles champion Peng Shuai that she was sexually assaulted by a former top government official. The first #MeToo case to reach the political realm in China has not been reported by the domestic media and online discussion of it has been highly censored.

Steve Simon, the chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association, questioned the authenticity of the email intended for him, in which Peng says she is safe and that the assault allegation is untrue. It was posted Thursday by CGTN, the international arm of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is being attributed to her,” Simon wrote.

The statement, he added, “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts.”

Simon has demanded a full investigation, and the WTA said it is prepared to pull tournaments out of the country if it doesn’t get an appropriate response. Top players including Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic have spoken out, and the hashtag WhereisPengShuai is trending online.

China has largely suppressed a #MeToo movement that flourished briefly in 2018 and is forging ahead with the Beijing Winter Olympics in February despite boycott calls by activists and some overseas politicians over China’s human rights record.

Asked repeatedly about the case, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said again on Thursday that he is unaware of it.

The 35-year-old Peng is a former No. 1-ranked player in women’s doubles who won titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014.

She wrote in a lengthy social media post on Nov. 2 that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier who was a member of the ruling Communist Party’s top leadership committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals three years ago.

The post was quickly deleted from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, but screenshots of the explosive accusation quickly spread across China’s internet. She has not appeared in public since then, raising questions about her whereabouts and whether she is being detained.

Zhang, who is 75, dropped from public sight after his retirement in 2018, as is usual for former senior officials. He is not known to have any close connections to current leaders.

Peng’s accusation is the first high profile accusation of sexual assault against a powerful politician in China. Past accusations touched on prominent figures in the non-profit world, academia and media, but never reached the Communist Party’s top officials or state-owned companies.

CGTN posted the statement on Twitter, which is blocked in China along with many other foreign platforms such as Google and Facebook. It did not post it on Chinese social media, nor was there any mention of the purported email behind the Great Firewall, which separates the Chinese internet from the rest of the world.

Some internet users have circumvented the controls and posted about the news in private social media groups. Freeweibo.com, which records censored posts from Weibo, said searches for “Peng Shuai” and “Zhang Gaoli” were both among the top 10 searched topics on Thursday.

Searches for Peng Shuai’s name on China’s Sogou search engine turn up only articles about her tennis career. Her account on Weibo no longer allows comments, and no results turn up if people search for her Weibo account.

Peng wrote that Zhang’s wife guarded the door during the alleged assault, which followed a round of tennis. Her post also said they had sex seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that. She also said she knew speaking up would be difficult.

“Yes, aside from myself, I kept no evidence, no recordings, no videos, only the real experience of my twisted self. Even if I’m destroying myself, like throwing an egg against a rock, or a moth flying into a flame, I will still speak out the truth about us,” the now-deleted post said.

Her allegation came just three months before Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics, which have been the target of a boycott campaign from multiple human rights organizations largely over China’s repression of Uyghur Muslims. The games face a possible diplomatic boycott by the United States and other countries. Rights groups have likened Beijing’s 2022 Olympics to Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. China has consistently denied any human rights abuses and says its actions are part of counterterrorism programs.

Peng has played in three Olympics. The International Olympic Committee said Thursday in a statement that, “We have seen the latest reports and are encouraged by assurances that she is safe.”

The Switzerland-based IOC, which derives 73% of its income from selling broadcast rights and another 18% from sponsors, has not criticized China, and often repeats that it is only a sports business and has no remit to act on policies of a sovereign state.

Xu Guoqi, a historian at the University of Hong Kong, explained the difference between the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Games.

“The big difference between the two Beijing Games is that in 2008 Beijing tried to please the world,” Xu told The Associated Press recently in an email. “In 2022, it does not really care about what the rest of the world thinks about it.”

The WTA can better afford to bring pressure since it is less dependent on income from China than the IOC or the NBA. The basketball league lost an estimated $400 million in broadcast rights when China blacked out its games in the 2019-2020 season after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of protesters in Hong Kong.

Simon’s statement said that Peng has displayed incredible courage, but that he is still concerned about her safety.

“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe,” he wrote. “I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communications, to no avail.”

Source: Voice of America

The Burgos Experimental Archeology Center (CAREX) was the scene this Sunday of a new edition, the XVII , of the Atapuerca International Cross , a great event for Burgos and world athletics organized by the Institute for Sports and Youth of the Provincial Council of Burgos , which once again responded to the great expectations raised and offered some exciting races in the senior category.

More than 4,000 athletes from 16 different countries took the start in the 19 planned categories , less than the more than 6,000 of the previous editions due to the reduction of registrations in the lower categories due to the anti-COVID19 health protocol, and as expected, finally African double in the absolute category and, this time, in addition to the same country, Eritrea .

Many spectators gathered again in Atapuerca to follow the Burgos cross. / Photo: Fernando Miguel

Thus Aron Kifle (23 years old) , a regular in Atapuerca in recent years and who had been fourth in 2019, took the victory in the men’s category after beating the three athletes with whom the victory was disputed in the sprint , and the same situation was the lived in the women’s event, in which the even younger Rahel Ghebreneyohannes (20 years old) surprised the three Kenyans with whom the victory was also played in the last meters.

Meanwhile, on the Burgos side, Dani Arce (New Balance) stood out , who crossed the finish line in 15th place , but having entered seven Spaniards ahead of him; and especially the Arandina Celia Antón (CA Adidas) , who returned one more year to leave her soul in the race and although she occupied 18th place she was the second best Spanish , only surpassed by Carolina Robles (FC Barcelona), who entered three seats ahead. A little further back, but also completing a good race, Cristina Ruiz and Lidia Campo came in 26th and 27th respectively.

Highest speed tip rewards Ghebreneyohannes

In chronological order it was first the absolute female category , disputed over 8,000 groupers, the one in charge of taking the show to the CAREX Circuit of Atapuerca. With a bouquet of African athletes more numerous than in any other edition in memory, from the first moment it was clear that there would be a race ahead , that of those who would play the victory , and another one from 10-15 position backwards , that of the European athletes who would seek to ensure their presence in the continental cross – country championship next December.

In the lead, only the first two kilometers were needed for the event to be opened by eight mainly African, Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes , and along with them a single representative from Eritrea , who in the end would surprise all their rivals by taking the victory . The Kenyan Chelimo, Chebet and Jeruto would almost always remain at the forefront of the group from which athletes would gradually be released, and as they passed through kilometer 6, with chilling averages of 3:07 minutes per kilometer , there were only five runners from head.

They thus reached the last lap of the circuit , also in the last meters, in which the Kenyan sub’23 Celliphine Chepteek took off , and thus the victory was only going to be a matter of four, an Eritrean and her three great rivals from Kenya . And what seemed impossible could happen, happened. The smartest in the class , the one who had least taken the lead and a priori the most inexperienced in her 20s, Rahel Ghebreneyohannes , made use of her greatest speed tip to almost beat Beatrice Chebet and Margaret Chelimo on the finish line. , second and third respectively just 1 second.

Behind, the Italian Nadia Battocleti , in 12th place, was the best European to reach the goal, and only three places behind , but 23 seconds behind, came second , the Sevillian Carolina Robles (FC Barcelona ) , current champion of Spain of the 3,000 meter hurdles. And another three places behind, close to the Portuguese Mariana Machado, entered the Arandina Celia Antón (CA Adidas), second Spanish and therefore very clearly presented her candidacy for the European Championship .

Minutes later, the men’s absolute category (9,000 meters) started, here with a greater opposition of European athletes than the usual large list of Africans, and in fact, in the first two kilometers , the Spanish Carlos Mayo ( current national cross champion), Javi Guerra , Abdessamad Oukhelfen and Ouassim Oumaiz (Cuevas de Nerja), winner in Atapuerca in 2019; Along with them, Dani Arce (New Balance) from Burgos, who, accompanied by Adel Mechaal for most of the race, was even setting the pace in the lead.

However, when the Africans began to rev up the rhythm and little by little they were stretching the group of about 20 units that stood together as they passed by kilometer 4, several runners were losing their rope (among them Guerra, Arce and Mechaal) and already it was only Oukhelfen and Mayo who held the guy.

Thus, in a group now of only 9 athletes, the race would reach the last 2,000 meters, in which Carlos Mayo was the one who clearly closed his head so that the Spanish responsibility fell on Oukhelfen. Along with him, the Eritrean Aron Kifle entered stronger than anyone in the last lap to go alone ahead in search of victory, and behind him the other two places of the podium would be played by Rodrigue Kwizera, from Burundi, and the Ugandan brothers Joel and Thomas Ayeko, who in this order would occupy the second, third and fourth places just one and three seconds behind the winner respectively.

Along with them, huge in fifth place , the Spanish Oukhelfen , eighth Carlos Mayo and fifteenth the Burgos Dani Arce , who once again gave everything to his countrymen although without being able to prevent up to seven Spanish runners from entering ahead of him , most of them specialists in cross-country, in principle they have more options than him to go to the European.

Great fourth place for Rubén Álvarez in the sub’20

As for the rest of the categories, all of them with an important presence of athletes from Burgos, the triumphs of Laura Segura (Image FDR) in the popular female race and of the young Laia Cariñanos (At. Valle de Mena) in the sub category stood out above all . ’14. In addition, Santiago Vivanco (UBU) occupied second place in the men’s popular event, and the Arandino Rubén Álvarez (UBU) achieved a more than meritorious fourth place in the sub’20 category that puts his classification for the European Championship very close . He will have to endorse it next Sunday at the Cross de Itálica, in Seville.

CLASSIFICATIONS (In bold, Burgos athletes):

Female Absolute:

1st Rahel Ghebreneyohannes (Eritrea) 25:03

2nd Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) 25:04

3rd Margaret Chelimo (Kenya) 25:04

4th Norah Jeruto (Kenya) 25:06

12th Nadia Battocleti (Italy) 26:21

15.ª Carolina Robles (FC Barcelona) 26:44

18th Celia Antón (CA Adidas) 27:03

26th Cristina Ruiz (Castellón Beaches) 27:44

27th Lidia Campo (Valencia CA) 27:47

Male Absolute:

1st Aron Kifle (Eritrea) 25:33

2nd Rodrigue Kwizera (Castellón-Burundi Beaches) 25:34

3rd Joel Ayeko (Uganda) 25:36

4th Thomas Ayeko (Uganda) 25:36

5th Abdessamad Oukhelfen (CD Nike Running) 25:44

8th Carlos Mayo (CA Adidas) 26:04

15th Daniel Arce (New Balance) 26:32

38.º Jesús Gómez (CD Nike Running) 27:34

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

The Commission of Culture and Sports has organized training for its 35 members on the discovering and research of ancient and historical heritage.

The ten days training that started on 10 November is being provided by field experts from Italy.

At the opening of the training, the Commissioner of Culture and Sports Ambassador Zemede Tekle expressed conviction that the training program will play a significant role in enhancing the knowledge of the participants in heritage discovery and research abilities and play a due part in the heritage discovery program that will be carried out throughout the nation.

The Head of Heritage Research branch at the Commission of Culture and Sports, Dr. Tsegay Medin and Prof. Serena Massa, one of the trainers, on their part stated that the training includes basic principles of researching and preservation of ancient and historical heritages and discoveries, modern scientific heritage preservation techniques, as well as on the role of the society in discovering and preserving ancient and historical heritages.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Kenya on Thursday disbanded its national football federation over corruption allegations and said it may seek to prosecute any guilty officials.

The move was swiftly rejected by the suspended head of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), who denied there had been any wrongdoing.

Sports Minister Amina Mohamed said the action was taken after a government investigation into FKF finances revealed it had failed to account for funds received from the government and other sponsors.

She said in a statement there would be a further probe to “establish the extent to which the misappropriation of funds in FKF may have occurred, with a view of prosecuting those who may be found culpable”.

The minister named a 15-member caretaker committee to run the federation’s affairs until fresh elections are held in six months’ time.

But suspended FKF chief Nick Mwendwa vowed to fight the move.

“I am still… in charge of the FKF. We won’t accept the decision taken by the sports ministry,” Mwendwa told a press conference.

“The FKF reject the (caretaker) committee, and we will carry on with our operations as usual. This means all football activities in the country continue as scheduled and FKF remains in charge.

Mwendwa denied that the federation had failed to account for government funds.

“FKF fully complied with the inspection process ordered by the minister, and (provided) detailed and operational documents from the year 2016 to date. But regrettably the inspectors had no serious interest in scrutinizing our documents.”

The government investigation launched two weeks ago sought to determine if 244 million shillings ($2.2 million) given to the federation was used as intended to prepare the national Harambee Stars team for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Egypt.

Thursday’s government move may put Kenya at loggerheads with FIFA which prohibits government interference in the affairs of local federations.

Mohamed said Kenya had informed FIFA about the outcome of the government investigation.

The Harambee Stars played Uganda in a 2022 World Cup qualifier in Kampala on Thursday, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Kenya is mathematically out of the running for the Qatar finals after two big losses to group leaders Mali and draws against Uganda and Rwanda.

Source: Voice of America

Health workers in Cameroon are fighting a cholera outbreak that claimed 13 lives this week in two major cities of the central African state. The outbreak, which has affected several hundred people, comes as Cameroon prepares to host the African Football Cup of Nations, or AFCON, in about two months.

Cameroon’s health minister Manaouda Malachie in a release this week said thousands of civilians in the capital city Yaounde and Ekondo-Titi, an English-speaking western town, are threatened by cholera.

Cholera is an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and food. It causes severe vomiting and diarrhea and can kill within hours if left untreated.

Amos Kome Njikang, the medical doctor in charge of the Ekondo-Titi hospital, dispatched health workers to the community to search for and transport cholera patients to the hospital.

“Four more cases came in between yesterday and early this morning,” he said. “We have made plans for the transportation of new cases from the community to the health facility at Bamousso. We have also tried to increase personal hygiene, hand washing, washing of whatever we consume. We are trying to tell them how to purify water before they drink.”

The health ministry said several hundred patients were rushed to hospitals in Yaounde and Ekondo-Titi. The government said it recorded at least 13 cholera-related deaths in the two towns since Monday.

It’s feared the outbreak may have claimed more lives in villages which lack health infrastructure.

This week, the ministry of health said it dispatched several dozen health workers to warn civilians that eating uncooked food and unwashed fruits, or drink water that’s not boiled, increases the risk getting cholera.

The cholera outbreak comes as Cameroon prepares to host the African Football Cup of Nations, AFCON, starting on January 9.

Yaounde, which will host teams from eight African nations in the continental soccer event, has reported at least 100 cholera cases.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Yaounde mayor Luc Messi Atangana said he’s cleaning up the city and improving the drinkable water supply to stop cholera from spreading.

He said the outbreak is provoked by increased refuse dumped by civilians on street corners, and he’s hired 30 trash trucks to add to 200 others that clear Yaounde of municipal solid waste. He expects Yaounde to be clean and free from cholera within the next two weeks.

The health ministry said the cholera outbreak may be difficult to contain. Less than 30 percent of the population visits hospitals either because of ignorance or because some civilians prefer traditional African medicine. Health workers are urging civilians to refer suspected cholera cases to the nearest hospitals.

Source: Voice of America

The Tour du Faso, a 10-day bicycle race through the conflict-stricken West African country of Burkina Faso, began in the southern city of Banfora on October 29. One Burkinabe rider hopes to build on his Summer Olympics performance and secure victory despite security concerns.

Paul Daumont is one of eighty cyclists taking part in this year’s Tour du Faso, Burkina Faso’s answer to the world-famous Tour de France bicycle race.

Since October 29, cyclists have pedaled their way across the country, with a new stage each day.

Daumont is back from the Olympics in Tokyo and hopes to improve on his performance in his home country.

He says breaking into cycling was tough, but at just 22, it has already taken him all over the world, from Japan to Switzerland.

“You could say that cycling, whether in Burkina Faso or in the rest of the world, is a sport that is difficult to get into, because you need a machine and the machines are relatively expensive. You have to be lucky enough to already have a bike — or someone who can lend one to you to get started,” Daumont said.

He says that the cycling federation in Burkina Faso helped him with a road racing bike after he showed potential, but you need a good bike to get to that level in the first place.

Despite difficulties with access, the sport of cycling is becoming more popular in Africa, and the Union Cycliste Internationale’s annual Africa tour takes in 11 countries, including Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is in the midst of a six-year conflict involving terror groups linked to the Islamic State group, al-Qaida and local bandits, and security has deteriorated in recent months.

The organizers and participants at this year’s event, however, were pushing ahead, and the atmosphere was festive.

When asked about security, one of the organizers said it was a concern.

“Yeah. Sure. It’s one of the big difficulties for us, because of course when we have, for example, European countries. We are not all the time sure, but we have a big organization. We have the military with us; we have to police with us,” Bezault said.

Contenders from Europe say they are not worried about security.

“Oh, I don’t feel unsafe at all. I think everyone is very friendly and, yeah, like I said, I haven’t felt unsafe at all. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” Betten said.

Local riders say they are enjoying the cosmopolitan nature of the event but have their eyes on the prize.

“I thank the foreigners who came, and I also thank the cyclists, the runners from Burkina Faso. May God give us the yellow jersey,” Sorgho said.

Meanwhile, Daumont has already placed in the top 10 in the first two stages of the Tour du Faso, which will reach its conclusion on Sunday.

Source: Voice of America